Ice Hockey and "The Church"?

Unless you are a die hard Hockey Fan most of you have no idea that the National Hockey League is currently in the Playoffs for their championship, The Stanley Cup.

When I was a kid, I used to follow hockey very closely. We lived in up-state New York (about 3 miles from the Canadian boarder) and the only sports programming we got in the winter time was Hockey. Back then I was a die hard Buffalo Sabers fan. We watched every game we could, I knew the players and followed some of them like rock stars. Over the years my interests changed and I must be honest that I don't really follow it much any more. However, I do know that the Sabers are playing really well and are currently in the hunt for the Cup.

Even if you've never watched an NHL game in your life you've most likely heard of Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky is the greatest hockey player to ever play the game. In 1978, his first season with the Edmonton Oilers he scored 110 points on his way to becoming the rookie of the year. He had four 200-point regular seasons and was a 10-time season leading scorer. This guy knew how to win, knew how to score and knew how to be successful.

Gretzky once said,

"A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be."

You see in order to score and have the success that Gretzky had, you can't play in the moment you need to look ahead and be ready for what's coming next.

I think the same thing is true in the church. We can't be successful reaching people, using the same methodology that we used yesterday. We won't be successful reaching people using the same tools that we are using today either. We have to constantly look ahead to where our culture and our community will be and begin taking steps to be prepared to reach people with new technologies, methodologies and tools.

I believe we've got the best and most important message to share. Our methodologies will continue to change and morph and evolve but the truth of Scripture, the truth of the Gospel and the message of Jesus Christ will always remain the same.

If you're on board with a thought process that says, "I'll do whatever it takes to stay ahead of the culture so that we can reach the culture for Christ", then please leave a comment and let me know that you're "On-Board."